Ultimate Planner Comparison + Ultimate Planner Giveaway 2018

May 31, 2018

As moms, our minds are already overwhelmed with the millions of tasks we have to manage for our family, our home, our work, our blogs/businesses and our selves. So adding to it what planner will help us wrangle the chaos is just another overwhelming decision with the zillions of planners on the market. Being the planner addict that I am, I took it upon myself to compile this ultimate planner comparison of my favorite planners so I can help you decide which planner will bring more peace to your mind so you can focus on your most important goals.

You see, this planner obsession of mine, it comes out of absolute necessity. I expect a ton out of my planner. Juggling 3 boys (one dangerously close to heading to college), a husband, an almost 20 year old house that we’re busting out of, a blog business I’m passionate about and an autoimmune disease that zaps my energy as unpredictably as the rolling in of clouds, you could say I have a lot going on. And I rely on my planner as my brain outside my body to tame the chaos. Otherwise, I really think I would forget everything. But I know that I’m not the only one afraid of dropping all those balls I’m juggling. Don’t you feel that way too?

The good news is that I’ve done the research for YOU and am taking you through my absolute favorite planner companies on the market today. In my personal quest to crush my goals while taming chaos, I’ve scoured Instagram, the internet, Michael’s, Staples, Office Depot, Target and any other store that might carry a planner in search of the ultimate planner that solves all my personal challenges. I swear I can’t walk through Target without going through the planner aisle first. It doesn’t change much from week to week but it’s my guilty pleasure and with 3 boys in the house, I’m at Target..a LOT!

And while I can’t promise that the planner you choose now will be the one you stick with for the rest of your life, I hope that my planner comparison will help you decide what planner works for you in THIS season of life to help you get closer to achieving YOUR DREAM LIFE.

Anyhow, make sure you get all the way to the bottom because yes, I’m also giving away ELEVEN of my favorite planners and life-changing books to ELEVEN lucky winners in the Ultimate Planner Giveaway 2018. Each planner and book prize pack has a separate Rafflecopter so be sure to enter to win all the ones you would want.

Who says you have to wait till the beginning of the year to crush your goals? As Lara Casey of Powersheets encourages us, you can start wherever you are…RIGHT NOW! Please read the description of the planners in each of the 11 Rafflecopters carefully, some are calendar year planners dated January – December 2018, some are academic year or midyear planners and some are undated. Although we are almost halfway through 2018, the calendar year planners are still fantastic for figuring out if a particular planner style works for you, use past pages for your task, project or bullet journal type lists and you can snag them on great deals too. You can enter all eleven giveaways separately, but you can only win one planner prize pack.

Ultimate Planner Giveaway 2018 Terms & Conditions:

1. Open to residents of USA only, ages 18 and older.
2. Mom’s Small Victories will notify the winner via email. The winner must respond with a valid U.S. mailing address within 48 hours. If a response is not received within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
3. No purchase necessary.
4. This giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter.
5. You can enter to win all 11 planner giveaways in the Ultimate Planner Giveaway but you can only win one of them. Be sure to fill out the Prize Form so I know which planners you want the most.
6. Representatives from Corie Clark (The Purposeful Planner), Plum Paper, Erin Condren, and Cultivate What Matters (Powersheets) provided complimentary planner and merchandise for the giveaway. Opinions expressed in blog posts are 100% my own.

Note: This post contains affiliate links or referral links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission or discounts towards future purchases to me at no extra cost to you.

Ultimate Planner Comparison + Giveaway!

To start things off, I’ll be walking you through the various planner companies I’m featuring, what I love about each one and what makes them unique in the planner market.

If you want more of the specifics on each planner, I’ve also compiled an Ultimate Planner Comparison file that you can download when you sign up for my planning & productivity newsletter. It includes a comparison chart so you can see:

who the planner is good for in my opinion (ex. busy moms, people who are inspired by minimalist design, people want everything in one planner, etc)

portability ranking in my opinion based on weight of planner from planner website.

and more!

I created this chart using statistics found on the planner companies’ websites and flipping through the planners I have to make it as complete as possible to help you make a decision on the planner that best fits your needs. The chart will help you narrow down which planners to check out further. You can hide columns and rows if you want to print off or view only the data that is relevant to your needs.

Download the complete Ultimate Planner Comparison chart here when you subscribe to my planning & productivity newsletter so you can continue to get productivity tips to crush your most important goals.

Life Planner Comparison

First we’ll discuss the life planners and my current obsession….remember to scroll all the way down so you get the planner descriptions and enter to win each of the 11 planner giveaways separately.

1. The Purposeful Planner

The Purposeful Planner* was started by founder Corie Clark in an effort to juggle her family, faith and budding business. Sound familiar? I have been using this planner since March 2018 when I found the need to switch from a weekly to a daily planner. I felt like I had a zillion small tasks in my head and that I would do throughout the day that I really wanted to keep track of, and there just wasn’t room in the weekly planner.

I loved having a daily planner before but after completing my Powersheets prep work, I realized that reading the Bible and simplifying my menu planning by doing it once a month were important to me so when I saw the Purposeful Planner on sale and included two of my main goals, I snagged it…and I do love it.

What makes The Purposeful Planner unique is that:

The cover on the spiral daily I have is the sturdiest, scuff-free and most stunning of the planners I’ve owned

The Purposeful Planner Review:

Giveaway #1: The Purposeful Planner Daily January to December 2018 Black Floral Cover + The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron Giveaway:

Corie Clark provided a complimentary copy of the spiral Black Floral Daily 2018 planner* for this giveaway, just like the one I have pictured above and use myself. In addition, I am including a copy of The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron to this prize. I think these two pair well together because they are both focused on living a purposeful and mindful life. The Mindful Day is full of actionable items to help you implement mindfulness into various aspects of your daily life.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

2. The Day Designer

I used the Day Designer* in 2016-2017, when I started Elite Blog Academy* and decided to take my blog to the professional level. It was my first daily planner and I loved having enough room finally to keep track of all the things running through my head and space for my schedule to track how I spend my time (I find that time tracking really helps me boost my productivity because honestly, no one wants to write down “slacking off” in their planner).

I love big, chunky books and I admit I love big, chunky planners too. They are great memory keepers and fabulous for seeing your progress towards achieving your goals. In these daily planners, I make sure to do a little more journaling or tracking of my small victories and the Day Designer was the one that helped me do that, a practice I still cherish doing today.

And the more you look at the Day Designer site, the more you’ll find that they truly offer an option for every planner style and budget!

What makes The Day Designer unique is that:

the goal setting pages are the best in the daily planners I have seen that walk you through identifying your biggest goals and breaking them down into manageable pieces.

Daily pages have space for gratitude, notes, expenses and a don’t forget section for most important priorities.

Gorgeous and wide selection of covers, spiral and bookbound options

Wide variety of options between daily, weekly and monthly planners

Professional Ring Binder with A5 inserts to customize and build your ideal planner, if I ever head back to a full-time outside the home job, I’m getting one of these beauties!

Both a higher quality Flagship and mini line available on the Day Designer website* and a more budget-friendly Day Designer for Blue Sky line available on their website, Amazon* and Target

Ideal month and ideal week routine worksheets

Variety of free, supplemental printables like an entertaining checklist, food and exercise log, weekly menu plan, cleaning schedule, books to read/movies to watch and many more on the Day Designer website*

The minimalist design makes this great for people who want this to be a functional planner as well as creatives who like a blank canvas to make it their own.

The Day Designer Review:

Check out my full review of the 2016-2017 Day Designer with lots more pictures of the daily and monthly pages inside that have remained the same and I’ll be updating for the new epic goalsetting pages that are different in 2018.

Giveaway #2: The Day Designer January to December 2018 Daily Planner + How We Work Giveaway:

The Day Designer doesn’t go on sale often but I snagged the Day Designer 2018 Daily Planner* in the White Marble Cover to giveaway to one lucky reader. I’m also including in this planner prize pack a copy of the book How We Work by Leah Weiss, PhD to giveaway. I picked How We Work* because I felt like it was focused more on the research and explanation of why mindfulness is important in our workplace and that the Day Designer is fantastic for professional women who still want a pretty, functional planner.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

3. The Simplified Planner

So I splurged and bought two 2018-2019 daily Simplified Planners* just for this comparison post and giveaway. Y’all, I want all the planners and this ultimate planner comparison gave me a fantastic “reason” to purchase these for research and blog purposes. I mean, how can I give you my honest thoughts about something I don’t have?

I opened my daily Simplifed Planner (the Watercolor floral cover) yesterday and it kind of took my breath away. I immediately noticed the adorable hidden pineapple logos in the cover, and the subtle pink rhinestones. I loved the Prep work pages and the Simplicity Challenge built into the prep work. When I did my Powersheets Prep Work, I determined that my Word of the Year was “Simplify” so the one-page Simplicity Challenge was a welcome and comforting sight in the planner. I think I’m going to love playing in this planner and reporting to you how it can help you too.

What makes The Simplified Planner unique is that:

Looking Back and Looking Ahead Prep Work pages to help you determine lessons learned and your path forward

The Simplicity Challenge one-page checklist of ideas to tackle and simplify your life and home now

Calendar and Academic Year versions in both spiral dailies and bookbound hardcover weeklies.

Wide selection of gorgeous covers

A complete line of planners and coordinating home and kitchen organizational tools, notebooks, journals, baby keepsake albums, office decor and so many great gift ideas on the Simplified Planner website*.

Simplified Planner Review:

I don’t have a standalone review for this one so I’ll summarize the pros and cons of this planner here.

Pros:

great paper quality of coiled daily planners

smaller than other coiled daily planners so easier to carry

simple page design means you can customize what you track to suit your needs

I’m giving away a August 2018-July 2019 Watercolor Floral Daily Simplified Planner and a copy of Grace Not Perfection* by Emily Ley. I decided to go with one of Emily’s books to giveaway with this planner and looked through both A Simplified Life* and Grace Not Perfection.

A Simplified Life is a gorgeous book also but I felt like the Simplicity Challenge in the planner helps get you started on the journey to simplify your life. But what I struggle with and I hear my readers struggle with, is giving ourselves grace when things don’t go quite right. The stories, pictures and photos in Grace Not Perfection are real, honest and vulnerable. Emily’s story as a mom being overwhelmed with young kids and wanting something more in life is relatable, like she was speaking directly to me. And how she works through that overwhelm with grace will inspire readers to do the same. It’s a book that you can reread anytime you feel like things are falling apart.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

4. Erin Condren Planners

Ahhh, the planner that started the obsession and my ultimate planner comparison wouldn’t be complete without it. I have always been a planner girl but until I met the Erin Condren line of planners* in 2015, my planners were always the basic black or the ones I’d get in school and use black or blue pen. Nothing pretty or fancy but functional.

I opened that first beautiful box with my vibrant, colorful, happy little planner inside and marveled at it’s beauty. You couldn’t help but be joyful just looking at it, and that’s still how I feel when I opened the box to see my newest 2018 Erin Condren planner (and one lucky winner’s too).

For a noncreative person, I felt like the planner sparked some creativity in me. Like it was just begging me to use colored pens to categorize my tasks or find a way to make my lists pretty. And by getting down my notes, thoughts and lists, my mind felt like a burden had been lifted.

What makes the Erin Condren planners unique:

They are just. so. beautiful – the inspiring handlettered quotes, the vibrant colors, it all works seamlessly together

The incredibly generous folks at Erin Condren sent me a 2018 Weekly Planner (Teal Painted Petals Cover)* and fun accessories (a snap-in bill tracker dashboard*, a snap-in grocery list dashboard*, snap-in list dashboard and pen clutch*) to give away and I’m throwing in a copy of Daring Greatly* by Brene Brown, PhD. I have heard amazing reviews on Brene Brown books and found this one in great condition at a library sale. I thought it would pair well with the Erin Condren since the covers and quotes in the EC line inspire us to dare greatly in big and small ways. The book is about accepting and embracing our vulnerability so we have the courage to step outside our comfort zones and dare to be great in what we choose to do. I can’t wait to read the copy I got for myself and hope you’ll like it too.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

5. Inkwell Press Planner

Next up the incredible Inkwell Press line of classic and elegant planners. Just like the Simplified Planners, I’ve been stalking the Inkwells for a long time too. These beauties are truly wonderful for women who want to develop effective, worthwhile habits and crush their goals. The Inkwells focus on using monthly habit trackers and vision boards in order to prioritize your time and goals.

The Inkwells also have the best paper quality (at least the highest gsm paper weight) so that means pens won’t bleed through and the paper is velvety smooth. Seriously, I was a little intimidated to start writing in these incredible Inkwells, I don’t want to ruin it. But an unused planner doesn’t do me any good, so I can’t wait to dive in and show you how I use it.

Since this is the only planner with built in daily habit trackers, I thought The Power of Habit would be a good book pairing. The Power of Habit analyzes the science behind why we need habits and how to effectively change them so that we can transform our personal and professional lives.

Since I’ve started using habit trackers, I’ve been able to work some important habits into my routine during different times, like drinking enough water, flossing (eek!), mindfulness, journaling and reading daily. And as soon as I stop tracking my habits, I fall off the wagon and yep flossing was the first thing to go, I really need to add that back in. The Power of Habit* might help you create effective habits that you can incorporate into your routine whether it’s to help you through your current season of life or for your permanent health and self-care. I think it will help me and hope it will help you too.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

6. Plum Paper Planner

After the Erin Condren planner I bought in 2015, I discovered bullet journaling as a way to capture all the thoughts in my racing mind. I found that the Plum Paper planners allowed me to customize the planner so I could add a bunch of notes pages for my master task lists and project and bucket list ideas AND add preprinted checklists to each month and a blog planning section. It was a hefty planner because of everything I added in but it was AMAZING to be able to build a planner to suit my needs.

Plum Paper Planner Review

Pros:

most customizable, there isn’t a layout or need that they haven’t thought of already and made a beautiful layout for

smooth paper is a dream to write on

this can be an all-in-one planner solution

colorful planner is not overpowering and has clean lines

Cons:

because each planner is customized, shipping can take awhile depending on when you order. So plan and order ahead of when you need to start using it.

Want 10% off your first purchase of $30 or more in the Plum Paper Planner store? Email me at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com and I will send you a referral email. When you first sign up for an account through my referral email, you’ll get your 10% off coupon sent to you.

Plum Paper Planner graciously sent me a July 2018-June 2019 Weekly Horizontal Planner (Notes & Days layout with a Spring-Turquoise cover) to giveaway to a lucky reader. The clever notes & days horizontal layout allows you space for your week’s goals and to dos on the left hand page and appointments and day-specific tasks on the right hand page.

I am pairing the book Money Making Mom* by Crystal Paine with the Plum Paper Planner for this giveaway. Crystal started a blog when her young family was scraping by to make ends meet while her husband attended law school. With no college education but incredible determination, she tried all sorts of avenues to earn an income and finally hit it big with her blog Money Saving Mom. Crystal is now a full-time blogger and business owner, New York Times Bestselling author and motivational speaker (who paid in cash for her forever home!).

Her book Money Making Mom helps moms find their passion whether they want to start their own business or side hustle, or improve upon a current work situation so that they can earn financial freedom and give more generously. Full of stories from her and others’ personal experiences, Money Making Mom* will inspire you to find ways to make an income doing something you love and are good at.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

So the post office’s mistake is your gain! Plum Paper had sent me this giveaway planner when they sent mine but the post office was holding it for some reason. When I told Plum Paper that the giveaway planner didn’t arrive, they sent me the turquoise one above but low and behold, this one showed up too. Plum Paper is generously allowing me to giveaway both!

I’m pairing this one with the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, one of my all-time favorite personal development books and here’s why. I got this copy at a library sale, so it is an OLD edition and it’s got REALLY yellowed pages. But if you don’t mind old books then the content is still readable and it might just change your life like it did mine….and my husband…and my teen when I made him read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens* to help us understand each other (one of my best parenting decisions, really). I’d giveaway my teen copy but he’s got 2 younger brothers who will need to read it first.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

7. Passion Planner

I used the Passion Planner in 2017 and the beginning of 2018 and I loved it because it had a soft leatherlike bookbound cover, the kind that look beautiful on a bookshelf, it was a large 8.5″ x 11″ size (the only one of this size I’m giving away in this ultimate planner comparison), an hourly schedule so I could track my time, a work and personal to do list for each week and it had plenty of notes pages for tracking my to do lists and goals. I also loved the Passion Planner Roadmap for goalsetting and the monthly reflections to help you figure out how the month went and how you can improve for the next month. The Passion Planner really was a perfect all-in-one solution for people who like to bullet journal in their planners and the Facebook group really inspired me to be creative with my trackers.

I’ve got to let you know that while the Passion Planner was available in two sizes in 2018 (the Compact and the Classic 8.5″x11″), the company announced that going forward they will be selling only one new size (the Pro is 7″x10″) starting with the academic year 2018-2019 planners out now. The 2018 Classic size I will be giving away below is now at 50% off and being discontinued so it will no longer be available. Though the size is changing, the content of the pages looks the same.

What makes the Passion Planner Unique:

Passion Roadmap to mindmap your biggest dreams and goals at the start of the year and mid-year

Monthly calendar has space for personal and work goals and a space of infinite possibility for whatever you want to add in there (I liked mindmapping my goals into achievable pieces)

Weekly layouts have equal space for personal and work to do lists to help you ensure work-life balance.

Available in Sunday or Monday start

Available in dated (Pro size) or undated (still available in Classic or Compact sizes until stock runs out)

Monthly reflections pages to highlight what went well and what you can improve upon in the coming month

Weekly challenges to break out of your comfort zone and improve your life in small ways

Entire planner available via free pdf so you can print size you want and bind yourself and have your complete planning needs in one place.

The most notes pages of any planner in this comparison (20 blank and 20 dotted in the Pro)

Give One, Get One program so you can apply to receive a free planner. They give away a lot of planners to organizations and schools.

I’m giving away a brown Classic Size 8.5 x 11″ Passion Planner dated January to December 2018 and one paperback copy of The Year of Yes* by Shonda Rhimes to a lucky reader. I paired The Year of Yes with the Passion Planner because it is all about how Shonda (the creator and writer behind TV hits Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder), dedicated a year to breaking out of her introverted comfort zone and said yes to opportunities that scared her to death but made her a better mom, writer, sister and friend. Shonda’s writing was relatable and her words inspiring. Chapters I particularly enjoyed include her speeches for Dartmouth college (her alma mater) and the Human Rights Campaign gala where she talks about feeling alone, finding your tribe and her take on portraying “diverse” female characters on TV.

Anyway, since the Passion Planner is all about chasing your biggest goals and dreams, I thought The Year of Yes* might help you break through your comfort zone to pursue your true passion in life.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

8. The Happy Planner

Every time I go into Michael’s (and I love going into Michael’s), I head to the Happy Planner section. I love their covers and that they are discbound so you can add your own pages and customize the planner to suit your needs. They have a gorgeous collection of accessories and stickers to match also.

But as long as I have stalked them in Micheal’s, it wasn’t until now that I purchased one for the giveaway (and found a crazy deal on a 2018 for me to try out). And I sort of fell in love with the one I’m giving away. It’s just so pretty. Anyway, here’s what I think makes the Happy Planner unique:

Goal Planner Comparison

There are a few planners on the market dedicated to clarifying and achieving our most important goals. And I’ll be doing the same sort of goal planner comparison so you can see if a goal planner will help you fulfill your purpose and goals.

9. Powersheets

I started using Powersheets* this year when I was feeling a bit lost over my life purpose. I was overwhelmed with everything I wanted to do, but not getting anything done to completion. One thing was for sure, I couldn’t focus and I couldn’t do it all. Do you ever feel that way?

The Powersheets made me dig deep and reflect harder than I had before. The Prep Work is intense but it helped me get down to the core goals that are most important to me. Instead of focusing on 20 goals, I narrowed it down to my 4 most important goals. And I can’t say I don’t still get distracted, but I can say that I am getting more done on my core goals and saying “no” more to things that don’t get me closer to them.

After you set your goals, the Powersheets helps you develop effective Action Plans and Monthly Tending Lists to make sure you stay focused on your core goals.

What makes the Powersheets unique:

20 Prep work worksheets to force you to think about your fears, the identity box you’ve put yourself in and your biggest aspirations and motivators in order to help you cultivate your most important goals

10 Action Plan worksheets to take action on your 10 most important goals with more indepth questions to help you realize why the goal is important to you, resources to seek out and rewards when you complete the goal

Monthly Tending Lists to track your monthly, weekly and daily goals all in one space.

Month in Review worksheets to help you analyze what you’re grateful for, lessons learned, what’s going well and what you are saying no and yes to for next month.

A page to celebrate highlights and recap best of the year

Coordinating stickers included

Beautiful gold designs on some pages

The 12 month version comes with quarterly refresh challenges and reevaluation of goals and life.

The Powersheets Review

You can see more pictures and the pros and cons of the Powersheets in my full review here.

Our generous partner Cultivate What Matters sent me a Powersheets 2018 6 month edition with the pink cover* and a copy of Cultivate* by Powersheets creator Lara Casey to giveaway to a lucky reader. Of course, I’m pairing Lara’s book Cultivate with the Powersheets because it makes you dig even deeper into what matters most to you. With thought provoking questions and prompts throughout the book, I think Cultivate would be perfect for journaling in every day. Cultivate would also make a great selection for a book club.

In fact, Cultivate What Matters is starting a Cultivate book club discussion* starting May 31st where a team member will lead a discussion on a chapter a week so that we can implement as Lara says “We can’t do it all, and do it well. But, we can choose to cultivate what matters.”

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

10. The Self Journal

I came across the Self Journal* during my quest for my life purpose earlier this year. I am a sucker for hardcover bookbound journals and loved that the PDF of the entire journal was free to download. The Self Journal is undated and focused on 6 principles to help you achieve your goals including defining your goals in 13 week roadmaps, time blocking your entire day and bookending your day with positive psychology.

I really liked the way the Self Journal helps you break down your goals into progress goals, specific tasks, what success looks like and what your reward will be for achieving your goal by the target date. To hold yourself accountable, you have to physically sign and date your goals, a small step with great significance to keep you motivated.

What makes the Self Journal unique:

Free PDF download available of the entire journal so you can print yourself and try it out.

Analyze your result goal (the goal you are trying to achieve), why it’s important and how it will improve your life

Sign your commitment to completing the goal by a target date to hold yourself accountable

Can order a subscription, journals delivered every 11 weeks and 10% off individual journal price

Weekly Action Pad* allows you to categorize tasks by time takes to complete and Energizing, Neutral and Draining

The Self Journal Review

I don’t have an individual review for this one yet so listing the pros and cons here:

Pros

Undated so you can use it when you need it, designed to work in 13 week blocks

Hardcover bookbound journal looks professional or free PDF to download

Small size makes it easily portable

Weekly review pages focus on your happiness, wins and lessons learned

Small weekly habit trackers associated with your goal work

Daily gratitude for mornings and evenings

Can be used for daily life planning and focusing on goals

Cons

Need 4 journals to cover an entire year

11. The Recollections Goal Planner

I snagged this 18 month Recollections Goal Planner at Michael’s at the same time as I got the Happy Planner for this giveaway. Honestly, I didn’t know that this goal planner existed and I flipped through it and loved it. Like the Happy Planner, the Recollections planner inspires with it’s bright, bold, vibrant colors and quotes. I loved the premade gratitude and achievement trackers and the monthly goal trackers. Just about all the trackers I would create in a bullet journal to set and track my goals was already done in this lovely planner.

I love that it’s undated and comes with monthly stickers so you can customize the planner and use it for the months when you have time to work on your goals (because we all know there are some months when we’re just doing what we need to do to get by).

What makes the Recollections Goal Planner unique:

Beautiful layouts and colors to inspire you creatively and makes you happy just looking at it

Gratitude tracker to list what you love and achievement trackers to fill up your life

The Recollections Goal Planner Review

I’m really excited about this goal planner so I will do a review soon, but until then I’ll summarize my pros and cons on this one for you here.

Pros

Good paper quality, similar to the Happy Planner and Erin Condren

Beautiful designs and layouts, a variety of colors and covers to choose from.

Bullet journal style goal, achievement and habit trackers to encourage you to stay focused on goals

One routine worksheets so your daily routine can evolve with your needs

Readily available in stores or online at Michael’s so you can get it at a good price especially with a coupon

Plenty of notes pages at the end

Can be used on it’s own for daily life planning and goal planning

Cons

The Michael’s site does not have these clearly marked as goal planners. The title for the one I’m giving away is “Creative Year Pink Swirls Medium Planner By Recollections™” and the pictures don’t show you the page images so you can’t tell it’s full of goal setting goodness. The only difference is this one says goal spiral planner on the cover image when you zoom in, and the descriptions says 18 month undated and their other planners show 2018-2019. Here are some other possible cover options online: Goal Getter Map, Dream Cloud and Colorful Stripe

I’m giving away a Recollections Undated 18 month Goal Planner (No Better Time Than Now cover) and a copy of Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success is Determined by Your Daily Agenda* by John Maxwell. Make Today Count is an impactful short book about Maxwell’s 12 daily disciplines to maximize productivity and lead a successful life. Each chapter covers the discipline, the decision you need to make and how to incorporate it into your routine.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, see the complete Terms & Conditions above and in the Rafflecopter.

Want all the details on these amazing planners so you can find the best planner for your needs? Subscribe to my Planning + Productivity Newsletter and Get Your FREE Ultimate Planner Comparison Chart!

Subscribe to my Planning and Productivity Newsletter and download my Ultimate Planner Comparison chart for free so you can print or view a side-by-side comparison of all the planners described above, their statistics and who the planner is best for. This will help you choose the best planner for you in your current season of life. With your subscription you also get the password to access my Exclusive Subscriber Library where you can download ALL the free planners, printables, bookish discussion questions and blogging goodies that I offer.

Everyone’s planning needs are so different, we have different priorities and goals. It can be hard to find the right planner to help you juggle your daily life, reach for your goals and cultivate a purpose-filled life that you love. I hope that this Ultimate Planner Comparison helps you see the benefits of the different planners on the market so you can choose one that helps you feel less overwhelmed and more productive.

So which planners most interest you? What do you hope your planner helps you do? Do you need a planner to help you juggle daily life or reach your goals or both? Tell me in the comments!

Feel free to ask me anything about the planners you see above and I will give you my honest opinion and feedback.

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Comments

Thanks for this giveaway! I couldn’t make it without some sort of planner. I did try to fill out the google document for multiple planner entries and it says that the link is invalid. Just thought I’d let you know!

I’m SO excited about your review and giveaway Tanya – great job and thanks for your generosity! Looking for the perfect planner for me. Hopefully I will win one of these beauties and come one step closer to finding #PlannerPeace! 🙂

This review is amazing! Thank you for all the time you put into this-very thorough. I know you cannot review every planner, but did you ever consider including Start Planner? That’s the planner I use. Thanks for the review and giveaway. I would love them all.

I will try to write my comment without tearing up. My biggest struggle was infertility. I suffered from severe endometriosis and adenomyosis. I have had multiple failed IVF for 7 years and the pain of not being able to conceive broke my heart into pieces. I love kids and work as a teacher for speech and hearing handicapped in a school setting and not being able to have at least one child was extremely painful. On February of this year, I was left without a choice and had a hysterectomy. I am better healthwise and forgot what life was like without bleeding and excruciating pain on a daily basis. However, I haven’t grieved or dealt with my emotions and just trying to make it through the school year to take care of my students and then take care of my self emotionally over the summer. I would love to take a beach vacation since I haven’t really been on vacation in a very long time due to IVF procedures every summer and was physically weak to even travel.
My biggest dream is to have a child /ren through adoption or surrogacy and have a family. Having a planner has helped me immensely with scheduling my multiple doctor appointments and everything in between in the past. I am in search of a faith-filled, words of encouragement and a space to write my daily reflection and what I’m grateful for. I am looking for books to read over the summer that can help me emotionally and not lose faith that I will accomplish my dreams of becoming a mom and having a family in God’s perfect timing.

I’m so sorry you had to have a hysterectomy after failed IVF attempts. I know there are so many kids who need loving homes and I hope and pray that adoption or surrogacy works out for you. I love the Purposeful Planner and Powersheets combo to help me manage my daily life, prayer and praise and infuse my life with faith. I hope you entered to win as many of the giveaways as you think will help you on your journey. In terms of books, I’m reading Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley right now and I think it might inspire you as well, to give yourself Grace in finding your way. Her book is filled with faith and inspiration also as she struggled with infertility, IVF and pregnancy as well. And I’m giving it away a long with her simplified planner so be sure to enter that giveaway! Much luck and blessings to you. Thanks for commenting and sharing your story and struggles with me.

Being a teacher myself with my kids in school at a different district than myself, my planner is the only thing that keeps me sane some days. I’m looking for something that will work better with our increasingly busy schedules. Next year we add schilling sports for my daughter, athletic director responsibilities for me, and my masters classes! I’m still trying to figure out if a daily planner will be a better option or just a different weekly layout than I’m using now.

I love the InkWell Planner – I’ve used it for the past 2 years (I do love the thick paper!), but I would love to try the Powersheets or the Purposeful Planner (I think that was the one you used for bullet journaling?). I’m not as much of a lover of planners as you are, but I love exploring the different options! This was really fun to read through, and you’re reviews are wonderful! I love seeing photos of how you use your planners!

Wow, what a generous giveaway and thinking of others! For me, I would love to try out Powersheets by Lara Casey because I want to start a small business (so I can help with adding side income so I can continue to be a stay at home mom) and launch my blog. I have so many goals and dreams but don’t know where to put them and get started. As a mom, you know how our brains are everywhere with so much tasks and chores that needs to get done.

With me, it’s that and on top of it, I’m grieving of losing my 3 year old daughter last year so I’m trying to keep this family together to make sure things are get done. But sometimes it’s hard to get things done when you just need some alone time to write things down and just breathe… think. I love that Lara has a strong faith as I’m just now learning to lean onto faith ever since my daughter was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease (not like yours but kinda similar).

Thanks again for putting this amazing giveaway for us to be able to try these beautiful planners out before we can make that decision to actually purchase one! Have a blessful day!!

I’m so glad to hear from you Nettie, I follow you on IG too and am so sorry for the loss of your daughter. I can’t imagine the pain. I am reading Grace Not Perfection now and I totally believe in giving yourself the Grace to deal with your grief. Autoimmune diseases are tough to handle and I’m sure so much harder watching your child to through it. Please accept my sincere condolences.

Lara was such a light during a dark and confusing time for me as I struggled with my own life purpose. I try so hard with this blog and its my passion to make it a business but it’s been a tough battle. I understand wanting to start a,business and be home with your kids. Good luck with the giveaway and I hope you get your hands on some Powersheets! They really helped me pinpoint what was most important to me to focus on in 2018.,best wishes.

WOW! What a huge number and variety of planners! I didn’t realize there were so many options out there now.

I have used the same planner refill pages for about 30 years now! As a young engineer, DuPont sent us all through a class offered by MindMaster, and I still use their planner pages today (though at some point they were bought out by DayTimer) – still works for me, too!

Wanted to remind you that it is summer again….and time for another Big Book Summer Challenge! I hope you will consider joining the fun again!

That is so great, I wish I was as loyal to one brand. I used to use Daytimer products at work. I’m sure you have quite a collection. I tend to get restless but this year I got all the planners so I could share their goodness with readers!

I do remember it is Big Book Summer. In fact, I started reading Jane Eyre yesterday!

I love planning and planners and you have collected a great selection! So hard to decide, but your chart is super helpful! 2019 is the year I do my dissertation so I’m in need of a good planner to keep me organized for school plus my family organized!

Thanks so much Rachel, I’m so glad the chart was helpful to you. There are so many wonderful choices and,each planner has something unique, it can be difficult to decide. I enjoyed putting this together. Good luck!

I know what you mean. I can’t live without my planners either. I end up bullet journaling in my planners so the layouts are done for me and I add my massive to do lists. Thanks for commenting, good luck if you entered to win!

I would love to win a planner since I have RA and I write about my daily struggles. A planner would be a real treasure and meaningful since it involves life, the trials and tribulations, the successes and failures but most of all my goals and hopes that I will feel stronger, have more energy and travel and enjoy everyday to its fullest. Thanks for your wonderful giveaway which is very special and beautiful.

So true Anne, my planner is my health record, and my small victories journal. The happy memories and the pain scale on bad RA days. But the progress on my goals is so wonderful to see, slowly but surely I get there! I’m so glad you shared what you need in a planner and how it helps you. Good luck and I appreciate the compliment on this giveaway, I’m so excited to share it with all of you!!